Palladium Books® Weekly Update – May 12, 2011

By Kevin Siembieda

UPDATE: New Palladium website should go live any day now. Really. We thought the website would be up earlier this week, but we were delayed due to a handful of technical issues; including waiting for our host company to make some necessary changes. That was okay, as it gave us time to make additions and changes to make the new website even better. It’s rather like working on a manuscript for a book: every time one of us takes a pass at it, we see something that could be improved, tweaked or should be changed. So we’ve been making improvements while we wait.

I’m told we should go live Friday night, but it could be over the weekend or on Monday. Our apologies for the delay. I know Rex, Thom and all of us are chomping at the bit to see the new Palladium website go live. We hope you’ll like the new look and improvements. The website has been completely redone from the ground up and we’ll continue to make changes and improvements in the months to come. Our appreciation to those of you who offered comments and suggestions, as well as to Rex Barkdoll for the Herculean amount of work and creativity he put in to it.

UPDATE: Palladium’s Facebook numbers continue to grow. We surpassed the mark of 2,500 people who like the page by 108 and are on our way to 3,000. It’s nice to see so many people finding us and enjoying the page. I continue to post on our Facebook page on a regular basis – every couple of days, though I think I have popped in 4-5 days in a row this week. I’m encouraging the Palladium crew and freelancers to make more appearances too. Along with myself, Alex, Wayne, Mike Mumah, Brandon Aten, Irvin Jackson, Mark Oberle, Carl Gleba, and Braden Campbell, among others, are regulars on the page. Join the fun.

UPDATE: Online sales slumped this week. Sales were so-so this week. Hey, it happens. I’m not worried. As Palladium continues to build momentum with the new website going live, regular releases of new titles, and growing excitement over our plans for the future, sales will bounce back up. Folks are clamoring for the two Rifts® Vampire titles, as well as Rifts® Lemuria, Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook and Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames, so now it is simply a matter of getting them finished and to press.

UPDATE: Rifts® Thundercloud Galaxy™ continues to get positive feedback and sell well. So are Armageddon Unlimited™, Dimensional Outbreak™, Heroes of the Megaverse®, Rifts® Japan, Rifts® Lone Star™ and The Rifter® #54, along with other titles. Have you ordered the books you’ve been meaning to get? Get ‘em now or wait until the new store, but make sure you get them. ;)

UPDATE: More Sneak Previews coming your way. People have been enjoying the free sneak previews of Armageddon Unlimited™and Thundercloud Galaxy™available from DriveThruRPG.comso much that we will try to do one for every new release from now on. DriveThruRPG.com is also a good resource for getting The Rifter® #1-48 and to fill in your RPG library with first edition copies of Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy®, Heroes Unlimited™, and other game lines as well as books such as Nightbane® Book Four: Shadows of Light™ and both versions of the The Mechanoids® RPG (1985) andThe Collected Mechanoid Invasion® Trilogy (1981-1983).

UPDATE: Rifts® Japan and Rifts® Lone Star™ are selling like crazy. I didn’t realize these two books were in such high demand. Among other titles reprinted this year, the Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Rifts® Game Master Guide, Rifts® Dark Conversions™, Rifts® World Book 5: Triax & The NGR™, Rifts® Mercenaries™, Rifts® Bionics Sourcebook, and Rifts® China One are also flying off the shelves. Rifts® Book of Magic is the next out of print book to be brought back into print by the end of the month.

UPDATE: Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms™. I am pumped up about this book! I’ve been inspired and the writing is coming along very well. The vampire section is being rewritten from the perspective of Doc Reid and presents new vampire information, details, powers and dangers, as well as notes about their behavior, hierarchy and society. I’ve added much more about the Vampire Kingdoms themselves, how they treat humans, who protects them during the daytime, and the threat the Vampire Kingdoms represent to the outside world. There is also information about becoming a vampire hunter, playing a vampire character, and getting in and out of Mexico alive.

UPDATE: Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook. I’m just as excited about this book as Vampire Kingdoms and I’ve been making notes and kicking material that doesn’t fit in Kingdoms into the sourcebook. Both will be very different, but excellent companions for each other. Perfect for ongoing campaigns.

UPDATE: Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook. I’ve been focused on getting the new website ready for launch and working on Vampire Kingdoms, so there has been no movement on this title this week.

UPDATE: Rifts® Lemuria. I’ve been promising artists assignments for this baby for a month, I’d better get to it.

UPDATE: Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames. I can hardly wait to see the finished cover. Need to assign art for this too.

BACK IN PRINT: Rifts® Book of Magic will be back in print by the end of May. I’m waiting for an exact ship date from my printer. The release date of May 25, announced last week, is incorrect. I forgot we “sew” and glue core books so the pages can never fall out. My printer caught the error and contacted me to ask if I wanted the 356 page Rifts® Book of Magic sewn. Of course I said yes, but that will delay the book several days to a week. At this point the ship date is looking like May 31st.

Murmurs from the Megaverse® – The Dark Secret of John Zeleznik has proven to be a lot of fun on the Palladium Message Boards and on Palladium’s Facebook page. John has been a good sport about it and has played along. But is this all innocent play? I must point out that since my calling John out, theDetroit Red Wings (our hockey team) have been winning games. Coincidence? I think not. We’ll see if we have broken John’s evil plot once and for all when the Wings win Game 7 of the current series tonight. Go Wings.

Click here to read all about this crazy conspiracy theory and evil plot.

Palladium Presence at A-Kon – June 10-12, Dallas, Texas. Reminder to fans in the Dallas-Houston area that Megaversal Ambassador Kenneth Haun is running Palladium gaming events at A-Kon. Join the fun. Sorry, none of us can make the event.

Palladium to attend Gen Con Indy – August 4-7. I mention this every week because we want to make sure everyone knows and swings by our booth. Spread the word. Even though there are no “official” Palladium gaming events there are always a bunch of “unofficial” games. Please stop by the Palladium booth to chat and get autographs, pick up new books and back stock titles, and have some fun. Palladium people you’ll get to meet include: - Kevin Siembieda - Wayne Smith - Nick Bradshaw (artist) - Michael Mumah (artist) - Brandon Aten (writer) - Matthew Clements (writer; tentative) - And others to be announced.

QueenofGhouls.com – Kathy Simmons has a creative whirlwind and has yet another new zombie or two going up on her store this weekend (by Sunday). One’s a female zombie that looks awesome and is waiting for a few finishing touches before she puts it in the store.

UPDATE: Alex. Lots and lots of rain has delayed getting the new roof put on this week at Alex Marciniszyn’s fire-damaged home. Weather permitting, the new roof goes on next week and the electrical work starts on Monday (the whole house needs to be rewired). All of this has been hard on Alex, but he is entering the final phase. He hopes to be back home by the end of the month.

Update: Palladium Birthdays. We celebrated Wayne’s birthday last Friday. Thom was there too and we had a nice time. Wayne reveled in the adulation and was showered in gifts. Kathy Simmons’ is next, followed by Alex Marciniszyn’s a week later, and Thom Bartold’s 10 days after that. All in June.

Behind the Scenes: Is there more going on behind the scenes? Of course there is. We continue to listen to your input and ideas, we continue to research and explore new realms of possibilities on many different fronts, and excitement remains high. I’ll offer some more Behind the Scenes details every few Weekly Updates. Right now, I’m writing my fingers off and working hard to get the next 3-4 books to the printer.

Keep those imaginations burning bright, enjoy the new website when it finally appears (soon!) and game on.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher

Rifts® Book of Magic – Back in Print – Ships May 31, 2011

This is the ultimate guide to magic on Rifts Earth. All the magic spells, magic tattoos, Techno-Wizard items, magic weapons, equipment, body armor, restraints, parasites, symbiotes, magic items, Automatons, Iron Juggernauts, and more from Rifts® World Books 1-23, Sourcebooks 1-4, and Siege on Tolkeen 1-6, collected into one big reference. Note: There is a slight delay at the printer. There is a slim chance we’ll get the book by May 25, but it looks more like it will be May 31.

NEW! Rifts® Dimension Book™ 14: Thundercloud Galaxy™ – Available Now

The book is sitting in our warehouse waiting for you to order. It is packed with great ideas, great art, unique, new alien races available as player characters, weird creatures and monsters, secrets of the Gene-Tech, weapons of the Dominators, ancient ruins, colony creation rules, adventure galore and much, much more.

The Scramble is the mad dash to claim and colonize the thousands of worlds of the Thundercloud Galaxy. Colonists flock to the Thundercloud filled with dreams. Space Pirates and an array of cutthroats also flock to the galaxy, guns in hand, ready to rob and fleece the colonists. Lawmen and heroes are in great demand, and the opportunities for clever adventurers are said to be without limit. As the civilizations of the Anvil and Corkscrew Galaxies scramble to colonize the Thundercloud, they are beginning to realize the galaxy holds more riches, beauty, horrors and secrets than anyone has ever imagined, making it a place of discovery, adventure and treachery like no other.

Thundercloud Galaxy™ is a perfect companion to the rest of the Phase World®/Three Galaxies™ based Dimension Books as well as the Minion War™ series. Players can be pirates, raiders, brigands or hired guns, or they may be explorers, adventurers, Spacers, or any number of heroes trying to protect the colonists or the indigenous peoples of countless worlds and colonies. The possibilities are truly limited only by your imagination.

17 new alien R.C.C.s plus the Elder Races, Dominators and more.

9 notable monsters and strange creatures, plus minions.

Learn about the mysterious Elder Races, complete with stats.

Dominator weapons, gear and salvage available to players.

Gene-Tech and their chemical enhancements, gear and salvage available to players.

Rifts® World Book 8: Rifts® Japan™ – Back in Print – Available Now

This fan-favorite sourcebook is filled with high-tech wonders, magic and monsters. There are 20 O.C.C.s (Occupational Character Classes) that range from the traditional ninja and samurai to power armor, giant robots and cyborgs.

Rifts® World Book 13: Lone Star™ – Back in Print – Available now

The Coalition State of Lone Star is a wild and woolly place of contrast and conflict. The Coalition States claims the entire State of Texas as their own, but they only control a small corner of it. It is here, at the Lone Star Complex, that the CS engages in genetic engineering and creates the famous Dog Boys and a host of other mutants. The rest of the state is held by the Pecos Empire – an empire of bandits, outlaws and rebels. The perfect companion to Rifts® New West™, Rifts® Spirit West™ and Rifts® Machinations of Doom™.

19 R.C.C.s, many of which are mutants.

A few new O.C.C.s.

Dog Boys – an in-depth look at how they are designed, bred and trained.

NEW! The Rifter® #54 – Available Now

This is another landmark issue of The Rifter® filled with epic source material, exotic places, strange critters, adventure settings, good stories and ideas.

The Rifter® is your doorway to unlimited imagination and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. It offers new heroes, powers, weapons, magic and adventure for your games. It presents new villains, monsters and dangers to battle, and new ideas to consider.

The Rifter® #54 includes:

The Final Chapter of The Hammer of the Forge™, by James M.G. Cannon. The pulse-pounding conclusion of this epic tale.

NEW! Rifts® World Book One: Vampire Kingdoms™, Expanded & Updated

Kevin Siembieda is reorganizing, tweaking, expanding and updating one of the most popular Rifts® World Books ever published: Vampire Kingdoms™. This will include some new artwork, rewrites throughout, much new material and an expanded page count. The book will be updated and expanded in much the same way as Kevin did with Rifts® Sourcebook One a few years ago. Best of all, it will be quickly followed by the Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™.

NEW! Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™ All new source material

Trouble is stirring in the Vampire Kingdoms as ambitious vampire lords, ladies and misanthropes seek to expand their power to dominate more mortal life forms.

Written by Kevin Siembieda and a handpicked selection of other writers, this sourcebook explores the vampires of Mexico and their kingdoms in ways you never imagined. Tons of new data, adventure ideas and revelations.

NEW! Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™

The Minion War spills across Rifts Earth, where demons and infernals hope to recruit allies and use the Rifts as gateways of destruction. Their influence shakes things up across the planet, especially at locations where demons and Deevils already have a strong presence. More details to follow, but for now, ‘nuff said.

Soulmancer and Blood Magic.

The Seven Deadly Plagues.

The Demon Plagues across the globe.

Battleground: Earth – as demons and infernals amass their legions.

Rifts Calgary – also known as Hell’s Pit; the kingdom described.

Ciudad de Diablo, Harpies’ Island and other notable Hell holes on Earth.

Lord Doom, Pain and other demonic leaders.

Horune treachery, Dimension Stormers and other villains.

Global chaos and the places most dramatically affected by the Demon Plagues.

Armageddon Unlimited™

for Heroes Unlimited™ and the Minion War™ – Available now

Armageddon Unlimited™ is the ultimate good vs evil setting and adventure. The fate of the world hangs in the balance and only you can stop its destruction as demons and Deevils fight for control of the Earth and bringing about the end of life as we know it.

Armageddon Unlimited™ is more than an epic world-saving adventure, it is also a sourcebook jam-packed with new powers, magic, weapons and Power Categories that can be incorporated into any Heroes Unlimited™ campaign. This book can be used as a standalone adventure sourcebook for Heroes Unlimited™ or as a pivotal plot in an expansive Minion War™ campaign. Get a free sneak previewof the book from DriveThruRPG.com.

7 new Minor and 14 Major Super Abilities.

Deevil and Demon magical Chaos Weapons.

Enchanted Weapons of Order and a few Enchanted Objects.

Demon Hunter Power Category and abilities.

Crusader of Light Power Category and abilities.

Heroic Hellion Power Category – play a “reformed demon.”

Hellion monster creation table.

Magically Bestowed Variant Power Categories and abilities let you wield weapons that empower good and destroy evil.

Rifts® Dimension Book™ 6: Three Galaxies™

Rifts® Adventure Sourcebook: The Black Vault™

Rifts® Mercenaries™

The Queen of Ghouls: Life-Sized Halloween Props

Check out the new creations by Palladium’s very own Kathy Simmons. See her new zombie, Jack Skellington and Sally, with more new creations on the drawing board. Each Halloween prop is truly life-sized (most are 6 feet or taller – Jack is almost 8 feet) and seem almost alive.

Each is an all-weather, life-sized Halloween prop that can handle rain and snow, and is a one-of-a-kind work of art (no two are exactly the same). Each looks frighteningly “real.” All come apart and fold down to slightly larger than a king-size pillow for easy storage. Comes with easy instructions, a plastic storage bag, and the lawn stake to stand it up in your front yard. Indoor stand sold separately.

Types of “Ghouls” include: Zombies (all kinds!), killer clowns, wizards, witches, devils, grave ghouls, scarecrows, executioners, mad doctors, deadly nurses, vampires, werewolves, and more. Kathy’s also now offering an array of hand-painted Halloween signs, signs with heads and bodies hanging from them, witch’s brewing pots, Halloween centerpieces and more. Best of all, her high quality creations are much more affordable and imaginative than most competitors or mass produced items in a store, making them affordable Halloween fun.

If you think the photos online look good, you should see them in person. A typical “ghoul,” as she calls her creations, costs $129-$259. You can see some of her work at her Queen of Ghouls™ Ebay store – queenofghouls.com.